Quads will appear at all but one World Rally-Raid Championship race in 2026. After skipping the Dakar Rally, where the class was axed in 2025, it will race the rest of the calendar at the BP Ultimate Rally-Raid Portugal in March, the Desafío Ruta 40 in May, the Rallye du Maroc in September, and the season-ending Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge in November.

Although people generally enjoy seeing quads in rally raids, declining manufacturer support and a greater sway toward bikes led to their removal from the Dakar Rally program in 2025. It was a gradual process to kill them off as revised eligibility criteria led to only ten riders competing at the last Dakar to feature the Quad class in 2024.

While Quad still has its own W2RC trophy, it was also dropped from the Rallye du Maroc for 2025; the RdM and Dakar are operated by the same organizers. However, with Morocco set to have new ownership starting 2026, the four-wheelers were allowed back.

“I am pleased to see that the quad category will be included in all the rounds except the Dakar Rally, and that the full championship will visit four continents in 2026,” said FIM president Jorge Viegas. “Each year, the series is attracting more teams which is very positive for the future and is just one of the reasons that the W2RC is becoming increasingly competitive, which I was able to witness firsthand at the Dakar Rally and the South African Safari Rally this season.”

In the meantime, their exclusion from Dakar and Morocco means the 2025 W2RC Quad season is only three races long. Antanas Kanopkinas won the first race in Abu Dhabi before CFMOTO teammate Gaëtan Martinez claimed the South African Safari Rally, leaving them tied for the points lead going into their final race in Portugal.

Featured image credit: Matteo Gebbia / Edophoto / DPPI / ASO